Trump's Speech On Iran, Reactions To Trump's Remarks, SCOTUS Birthright Case

Summary

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Up First from NPR — April 2, 2026

Episode Summary:
This episode dives into three top news stories: President Trump's national address on the war with Iran and the status of conflict in the Strait of Hormuz, global and regional reactions to Trump's evolving Iran policy, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s consideration of a challenge to birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment. The discussion is led by hosts Steve Inskeep and A Martínez, with in-depth reporting and analysis from NPR correspondents Deepa Shivaram, Aya Batrawi, and Nina Totenberg.

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1. President Trump’s National Address on Iran

[02:36–06:25]

Key Points & Insights

• Trump’s Message:
  • Timeline: President Trump declared that the war with Iran would end "in two to three weeks," a timeline he’s stated previously.
  • Military & Economic Claims: Trump stated Iran has been "completely decimated militarily and economically."
  • U.S. Goals: The stated U.S. objectives are removing Iran’s nuclear capabilities and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, vital for global oil transport.
• Public Reception & Political Implications:
  • The war is unpopular domestically and has driven up U.S. gas prices, putting political pressure on Trump and Republicans ahead of the midterm elections.
  • Despite declarations, there are thousands of troops still in the region and no clear public plan for withdrawal or next steps.
• Trump’s Warning to Iran:
  • Trump threatened, "If we see them make a move for it, we'll hit them with missiles very hard. Again, we have all the cards." ([04:48])
• Responsibility for the Strait of Hormuz:
  • Trump called on other countries (especially NATO allies) to take the lead on reopening the Strait, claiming the U.S. no longer needs that oil but refusing specifics.
  • There's tension with NATO allies, and speculation persists about the U.S. potentially leaving NATO. A meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Ruda is scheduled.

Notable Quotes

• President Trump:

  "We’re going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong." ([02:48])

• Deepa Shivaram:

  "Five weeks in, his message on what the U.S. was doing in Iran, what the plan was, how long it would take—it’s all been kind of muddled." ([03:43])

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2. Global and Regional Reactions to Trump’s Iran Policy

[06:28–09:52]

Key Points & Insights

• Escalating Threats:
  • Trump reiterated threats to destroy Iran’s power grid if no deal is reached, but ambiguities remain about what deal is on the table.
  • Iran responded that it would retaliate against Israel and Gulf states’ infrastructure if attacked, and recently demonstrated its capability by striking a Kuwaiti plant.
• Danger to U.S. Tech Firms:
  • Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has listed U.S. tech giants in the Middle East as potential targets.
• Gulf Arab Countries’ Position:
  • The war was launched with minimal consultation of Gulf allies, whose responses are cautious and divided.
  • UAE indicates willingness to join a coalition to reopen the Strait, but no such coalition exists yet. Other Gulf states are hesitant.
  • UK is hosting talks among 35 countries to discuss reopening the Strait but is distancing itself from Trump’s war decisions.
• Oil Market Impact:
  • Oil prices continue to rise amid uncertainty and lack of concrete coalition or military action.

Notable Quotes

• President Trump:

  "Go to the Strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves. Iran has been essentially decimated. The hard part is done. So it should be easy." ([09:02])

• Aya Batrawi:

  "[Gulf] Analysts tell me that’s in part because they don’t know what Trump will do next, and they don’t want to end up having to fight Iran alone." ([08:07])

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3. Supreme Court Arguments on Birthright Citizenship

[10:06–13:32]

Key Points & Insights

• Case Background:
  • The Court is considering the Trump administration’s challenge to the longstanding interpretation of the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the U.S.
  • Trump himself attended part of the arguments, being notably stern and unsmiling.
• Trump Administration’s Position:
  • Through Solicitor General John Sauer, Trump seeks to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants or those on any visas.
  • The government argued that the Constitution needs to evolve due to global migration and birth tourism.
• Justices’ Response:
  • Conservative justices (Gorsuch, Barrett) raised practical concerns about the administration’s policy, such as verifying parentage and intent at the time of birth.
  • Two (Thomas, Alito) seemed more sympathetic to the administration’s position; the rest appeared skeptical.
• ACLU Argument:
  • ACLU’s Cecilia Wong strongly opposed reinterpreting the Constitution, noting all previous judges found Trump’s policy unconstitutional.
  • Quote:

    "We can’t take the current administration’s policy considerations into account to try to reengineer and radically reinterpret the original meaning of the 14th Amendment." ([12:55])

Notable Quotes

• John Sauer (Solicitor General):

  "We’re in a new world now where 8 billion people are one plane ride away from having a child who’s a U.S. citizen." ([11:55])

• Nina Totenberg:

  "As for the other four conservatives and three liberals, they seem to be leaning the other way. A majority would be against the government then." ([13:12]–[13:28])

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Memorable Moments & Timestamps

• Trump’s escalating rhetoric on Iran ([02:48], [04:48], [06:34])
• Insightful context from Aya Batrawi on Gulf states’ caution ([08:07])
• Analysis of Supreme Court questioning, including Trump's presence ([10:35]–[11:22])
• ACLU’s forceful summary ([12:55])

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Tone and Language

This episode’s tone is urgent and analytical, with the hosts balancing hard news with direct, concise explanations. Emphasis is placed on the uncertainty in U.S. foreign policy and the potentially sweeping legal ramifications of the Supreme Court case.

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Useful for Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This summary covers the evolving final phase of the Iran war and diplomatic wrangling around the Strait of Hormuz, the tense international and domestic fallout, and the pointed debate in the Supreme Court on what it means to be a U.S. citizen—all with direct voices from the field, analysis, and debate highlights.

Transcript

[Steve Inskeep]

Hey, everyone. We would love to hear about what you like and don't like about. Up First. Now you can help us out by answering a few questions online. Go to npr.org springsurvey again, that's npr.org springsurvey and thanks.

[Ami Martinez]

President Trump addressed the nation and talked of ending the war against Iran.

[President Trump]

Eventually, we're going to hit them extremely hard. Over the next two to three weeks,

[Steve Inskeep]

he called on other countries to grab the stock Strait of Hormuz.

[Ami Martinez]

I'm Steve Inskeep with a Martinez, and this is up first from NPR news. Representatives of 35 countries meet today to discuss measures to reopen the Strait. Iran has threatened to strike US Tech headquarters in the Middle east after Trump repeated his threat to strike Iran's power grid.

[Steve Inskeep]

And President Trump watched as Supreme Court justices questioned his lawyers about his challenge to birthright citizenship on Wednesday.

[Ami Martinez]

We're in a new world now where 8 billion people are one plane ride away from having a child who's a U.S. citizen. Well, it's a new world.

[Steve Inskeep]

It's the same constitution. Stay with us. We've got all the news you need to start your day.

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[Steve Inskeep]

President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night, making the case for war with Iran more than a month after he ordered a tax against Iran.

[Ami Martinez]

He contended the war is a success and that it will end after another round.

[President Trump]

We are going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong.

[Steve Inskeep]

NPR White House correspondent Deepa Shivaram joins us now. What was the president's message?

[Deepa Shivaram]

Yeah, well, the president wasn't very specific in his remarks, but he said the war was ending shortly and provided a two to three week timeline on that, which is something he said before. He said Iran was completely decimated militarily and economically. And for most of his remarks, he explained why Iran was a threat. He said it would be intolerable if Iran had a nuclear weapon. And he said US Involvement in Iran was an investment in the future.

[President Trump]

This is a true investment in your children and your grandchildren's future. The whole world is watching, and they can't leave the power, strength and brilliance. They just can't believe what they're seeing.

[Deepa Shivaram]

I think it's important to point out that this was Trump's first formal address to the nation about this war. And five weeks in his message on what the US Was doing in Iran, what the plan was, how long it would take. It's all been kind of muddled. Polling shows that this war is unpopular with Americans. And the war has also led to a sharp increase in gas prices, which has been politically difficult for Trump and Republicans heading into the midterm elections in six months.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yeah. When it comes to his goals, though, for the war, he said he wanted to remove Iran's nuclear capabilities. He also wants the Strait of Hormuz opened, if indeed the war is winding down. Does the administration see those goals getting accomplished at the same time?

[Deepa Shivaram]

Yeah. I mean, this point is a little unclear and it's part of the reason. You know, we've been talking about it all week because Trump has been saying so many different things and thousands of US Troops are still in the region. Whether those troops will be used in any significant ground operations in the time that the US Is allegedly winding down the war is not something that the president talked about at all. But he did seem to indicate that the US could take future action in Iran if the country moves to try and make a nuclear weapon.

[President Trump]

If we see them make a move, even a move for it will hit them with missiles very hard. Again, we have all the cards.

[Deepa Shivaram]

And on the Strait of Hormuz, which is a really critical route for oil that Iran clamped down on as a result of these strikes that the US Started, Trump is now calling on other countries to do the work of reopening the strait. He didn't name any countries specifically, but he has been really critical of NATO allies in particular for not helping with US Operations in Iran. He said other countries should take take care of the passage and cherish it.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yeah, and it's interesting that he said other countries should take it because for a while the US Talked about taking it. And in his same speech, Trump said it would open his word naturally.

[Deepa Shivaram]

Yeah, this is just another example of Trump saying a lot of different things but then not providing any specifics. Trump said in his speech last night that the US didn't need the oil coming through the strait. And he's basically tasked other countries with reopening this passage that Iran closed during the war. But because the strait is how more than 20% of the world's oil gets transported, it's still affecting oil prices here in the U.S. trump claims, though, that once the strait is opened, the price of gas in the US Will lower again. But in the meantime, he wants other countries to deal with this, and that likely includes NATO allies. He's been really unhappy with them and has recently been bringing up again leaving NATO, though that's up to Congress to decide. A White House official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak on the record said that NATO Secretary General Mark Ruda is meeting with Trump at the White House next week.

[Steve Inskeep]

All right, that's NPR's Deepa Shivaram. Thanks a lot.

[Deepa Shivaram]

Thank you.

[Steve Inskeep]

In his address, President Trump repeated this threat to Iran. If a deal's not reached soon, if

[President Trump]

there is no deal, we are going to hit each and every one of their electric generating plants very hard and probably simultaneously.

[Ami Martinez]

Now, the president had previously threatened to hit power plants if Iran failed to open the Strait of Hormuz. Now that Trump has abandoned that goal and said it was other countries problem, it is unclear what deal he wants from Iran.

[Steve Inskeep]

We're joined now by NPR Internet international correspondent Ayabatrawi in Dubai. So let's start with the threat that we just heard from the president. What's Iran's response to that?

[Aya Batrawi]

Right, so Iran has already made clear that if its power plants are hit, it will target power plants in Israel and across the Gulf. And we already saw this week Iran can do that. It hit a power and water desalination plant in Kuwait after electricity outages in Tehran. And Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps listed American tech companies that they would target in the region if there are any more assassinations happening. Many, like Oracle and Google, actually have their headquarters Right here in Dubai, where I am. But Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson did say after Trump's speech that Iran is not interested in just a ceasefire with another war being launched on them again. And in response to Trump calling Iran a state sponsor of terror, Iran's Foreign Ministry said it's actually Israel, with the backing of the US that's being prosecuted now in international courts for war crimes in Gaza. Israel denies charges of genocide. But, you know, Iran says it is forced to continue confronting this war until it ends. And we've seen that they still have the capability to do that.

[Steve Inskeep]

Now, in the case of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran basically is choosing which ships can pass through. What has the response been from Gulf Arab countries who can't get their oil right.

[Aya Batrawi]

This war was launched by Israel and the US Mostly without consulting with Gulf Arab partners who do host thousands of US Troops that have been targeted. We know from our sources in the region that some Gulf Arab states had short advance notice of the war in order to sort of just prepare their air defenses, but others did not. And right now, there is not one defined Gulf stance on this war or how it should end. And despite continued Iranian in attacks, the Gulf countries have not hit back. Analysts tell me that's in part because they don't know what Trump will do next, and they don't want to end up having to fight Iran alone. But the United Arab Emirates has been more hawkish, and it says it's willing to join an international coalition to open the Strait.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yet no international coalition exists, and the price of oil climbed again after the Trump speech yesterday.

[Aya Batrawi]

Right? Exactly. There is no coalition to speak of yet. Despite that pressure from Trump, countries like the UK And France have actually tried to distance themselves from Trump's decision to go to war with Iran. And in his speech last night, here's what Trump said other countries should be doing.

[President Trump]

Go to the Strait and just take it, protect it, use it for yourselves. Iran has been essentially decimated. The hard part is done. So it should be easy.

[Aya Batrawi]

Should be easy, he says. Now the UK is hosting a virtual meeting today of around 35 countries to discuss diplomatic and political measures to try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which, again, a lot of that Gulf oil needs to go through and can't. Canada, European nations, Japan, and two Gulf Arab countries, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, are among those taking part. And we've reported that military planners will also meet to discuss naval options. But again, they're signaling any naval escort would be after the war. And it's important to remember a that some 3,600 ground troops, among them Marine infantry, were just sent to the region or are on their way, but it's still unclear what their mission will be.

[Steve Inskeep]

That's NPR international correspondent Aya Batrawi in Dubai. Thank you very much.

[Aya Batrawi]

Thanks A.

[Ami Martinez]

The Supreme Court has questioned the lawyers in a case on birthright citizenship. The court heard a challenge to the long settled meaning of the Constitution's 14th Amendment.

[Steve Inskeep]

Yeah, it says, quote, all persons born or naturalized in the US and subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens of the United States. The Trump administration asked the justices to discover an exception to those words. And the president himself came to watch the arguments.

[Ami Martinez]

NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg also went to watch the arguments. Nina, good morning.

[Nina Totenberg]

Good morning.

[Ami Martinez]

How important was it that the president himself came to watch?

[Nina Totenberg]

I'm not really sure that it was important. Trump came into the supreme court chamber about 10 minutes before the argument began. As far as my spotters could see because I'm too short, he glowered the whole time, never once smiled, and left after his solicitor general had finished the main part of his argument. The justices, for their part, seemed to have organized themselves more than usual and were quite determined not to let the argument go on ad infinitum, even mentioning a desire not to exceed time limits. I even had the impression that they must have met up for a few minutes at least and said how they wanted to treat Trump respectfully but not be his lapdogs either.

[Ami Martinez]

And they're putting questions to John Sauerkraut, the solicitor general of the United States, who's arguing for the government, arguing for Trump. What was the policy he was trying to defend?

[Nina Totenberg]

President Trump has long wanted to get rid of birthright citizenship. On day one of his second term, he signed an executive order barring citizenship for children born in this country to parents who are illegally here or who are here legally but on temporary, even long term visas. And here's Sauer trying rather unsuccessfully, I think, to persuade Chief Justice Roberts.

[Ami Martinez]

We're in a new world now where 8 billion people are one plane ride away from having a child who's a U.S. citizen.

[President Trump]

Well, it's a new world.

[Ami Martinez]

It's the same Constitution.

[Nina Totenberg]

Several of the conservative justices, however, indicated major questions about how the Trump administration plan would work out in practice if there were no automatic citizenship for newborns in the United States. If we were to do that, ask Justice Gorsuch, how would you know who the father is or the mother? What if they are unmarried? Whose house do they live in? Justice Barrett also questioned the practice practicality of the Trump plan.

[Aya Batrawi]

You're not going to know at the time of birth for some people whether they have the intent to stay or not, including including U.S. citizens, by the way.

[Ami Martinez]

Okay. So sharp questions for the government. What about when the other side had its turn?

[Nina Totenberg]

Well, the aclu, Cecilia Wong, had a lot easier time. After all, every judge to have examined the Trump policy has found it to be unconstitutional. But she was really on her game yesterday, as she did told the court

[Deepa Shivaram]

we can't take the current administration's policy considerations into account to try to re engineer and radically reinterpret the original meaning of the 14th Amendment.

[Ami Martinez]

So we've heard the lawyers. What do you think is on the justices minds?

[Nina Totenberg]

Well, it looked to me as though Justices Clarence Thomas and Sam Alito were leaning towards the Trump administration position. No guarantees. But as for the other four conservatives and three liberals, the they sort of seem to me to be leaning the other way.

[Ami Martinez]

A majority would be against the government then. Nina, thanks so much.

[Nina Totenberg]

Thank you.

[Ami Martinez]

That's NPR's Nina Totenberg, who has reported for decades on the Supreme Court. Now, here's a matter where you can be the judge. You can decide, you can give your ruling. You can help us out today by telling us what you like and how we could improve this podcast. All you have to do is complete a short survey. You can find it right [e-mail] spring survey. That's npr.org springSurvey Thanks.

[Steve Inskeep]

And that's up first for Thursday, April 2nd.

[Ami Martinez]

Ami Martinez, and I'm Steve Inskeep. Today's up first was edited by Rebecca Metzler, Jerry Holmes, Domenico Montanaro, Mohamed El Bardisi and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziad Buch and Eva Puketsch. Our director is Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hynes, who is always supportive. And our technical director, who is always direct is Carly Strange. Our deputy executive producer is Kelly Dickens. Join us tomorrow.

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